Mount Athos

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Mount Athos

Mount Athos (Greek: Όρος Άθως, Oros Athos) is a mountain on the peninsula of the same name in Macedonia, of northern Greece, called in Greek Agion Oros (Άγιον Όρος, transliterated often as Hagion Oros), or in English, "Holy Mountain". In Classical times, the peninsula was called Akté (Ακτή) (sometimes Acte or Akte). Politically it is known in Greece as the Autonomous Monastic State of the Holy Mountain. This World Heritage Site is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries and forms a self-governed monastic state within the sovereignty of the Hellenic Republic. Spiritually, Mount Athos comes under the direct jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

The peninsula, the easternmost "leg" of the larger Halkidiki peninsula, protrudes into the Aegean Sea for some 60 kilometres (37 mi) at a width between 7 to 12 km and covers an area of 335.637 square kilometres (129.59 sq mi), with the actual Mount Athos and its steep, densely forested slopes reaching up to 2,033 metres (6,670 ft). The seas around the end of the peninsula can be dangerous. In the ancient Greek history two fleet disasters are recorded: In 492 BC Darius, the king of Persia, lost there 300 ships under general Mardonius (Herodotus "Histories" book VI (Erato), Aeschylus "The Persians"). In 411 BC Spartans lost a fleet of 50 ships under admiral Epicleas. (Diodorus Siculus, "Bibliotheca historica" XIII 41, 1–3).

Though land-linked, Mount Athos is accessible only by boat. The daily number of visitors entering in Mount Athos is restricted and all are required to obtain a special entrance permit. Only males are allowed entrance into Mount Athos, which is called "Garden of the Virgin" by monks,[2] and Orthodox Christians take precedence in the permit issuance procedure. Only males over the age of 18 who are members of the Eastern Orthodox Church are allowed to live on Athos, either as monks or as workers. There are a small number of unarmed religious guards (Σερδάρηδες), who are not monks, to keep order. Police and Coast Guard presence is very discreet. Residents not part of the religious communities are required to live in the peninsula's capital, Karyes. Most workers live at the place where they work. Small low class hotels exist at Karyes (administrative center) and Dafni (main port). The 2001 Greek national census counted a population of 2,262 inhabitants.

The twenty monasteries

The sovereign monasteries, in the order of their place in the Athonite hierarchy:

1. Great Lavra monastery (Μεγίστη Λαύρα, Megísti Lávra, Great Lavra)
2. Vatopedi monastery (Βατοπέδι or Βατοπαίδι)
3. Iviron monastery (Ιβήρων; ივერთა მონასტერი, iverta monasteri) – built by Georgians
4. Helandariou monastery (Χιλανδαρίου, Chilandariou; Hilandar/ Хиландар) – Serbian
5. Dionysiou monastery (Διονυσίου)
6. Koutloumousiou monastery (Κουτλουμούσι)
7. Pantokratoros monastery (Παντοκράτορος, Pantokratoros)
8. Xiropotamou monastery (Ξηροποτάμου)
9. Zografou monastery (Ζωγράφου; Зограф) – Bulgarian
10. Dochiariou monastery (Δοχειαρίου)
11. Karakalou monastery (Καρακάλλου)
12. Filotheou monastery (Φιλοθέου)
13. Simonos Petras monastery (Σίμωνος Πέτρα or Σιμωνόπετρα)
14. Agiou Pavlou monastery (Αγίου Παύλου, Agiou Pavlou, Saint Paul's)

15. Stavronikita monastery (Σταυρονικήτα)
16. Xenophontos monastery (Ξενοφώντος)
17. Osiou Grigoriou monastery (Οσίου Γρηγορίου, Venerable Gregory)
18. Esphigmenou monastery (Εσφιγμένου)
19. Agiou Panteleimonos monastery (Αγίου Παντελεήμονος, Agiou Panteleimonos, Saint Pantelemon; Пантелеймонов; or Ρωσικό, Rossikon) – Russian
20. Konstamonitou monastery (Κωνσταμονίτου)

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Mount Athos (Greek: Όρος Άθως, Oros Athos) is a mountain on the peninsula of the same name in Macedonia, of northern Greece, called in Greek Agion Oros (Άγιον Όρος, transliterated often as Hagion Oros), or in English, "Holy Mountain". In Classical times, the peninsula was called Akté (Ακτή) (sometimes Acte or Akte). Politically it is known in Greece as the Autonomous Monastic...

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